Karma Yoga Descriptions

Karma Yoga, the Yoga of Selfless Service

A smile is a type of selfless service

Yogi Bhajan scrubbed the floors of the Golden Temple for four years. To many people this was inscrutable. The Master explained:

I’d like to share something very personal with you. I used to wash the floors of Harimander. [1] I was known as Yogi Baba, and a lot of people used to meditate on me. When they saw me washing those floors, they used to freak out. They asked me, ‘Why are you doing so?’ I asked them, ‘Why do you think I’m doing it?’ They said, ‘We don’t understand it at all. Why do you need this?’ I said, ‘I may have reached God consciousness long ago through meditation, but I have not reached it yet through seva.’ Seva means doing a service of no return. That is how the grace gets multiplied–when you are not seeking any return. I said, ‘By doing this seva at the Guru’s House [2] I want to make a relationship between me and my Guru. Therefore, I feel that serving the House of the Guru is more graceful for me than anything else. -Yogi Bhajan

Karma Yoga Groups

Participants will sign up on-line when they register for a Karma Yoga Group. The Karma Yoga group functions as a family unit, a small tribe and women share their experiences with this group each day. Karma Yoga requires approx. two hours of daily service.

Dishwashing Devas: Setting up, maintaining and breaking down the dishwashing stations for the ladies for each meal.

Grounds Goddesses: Anything out of place – you put back into place. Activities include patrolling the areas of camp to make sure things are neat and organized, pick up stray trash and things that get knocked around by the Ram Das Puri Wind, watering plants, helping to run the dishwashing stations during meals, and help to keep the teaching tent and lunar lounge area neat to contribute to making our camp a cozy and welcoming environment for everyone.

Sadhana Wake-up Angels: You are a musician and want to serve by walking through camp at 3:15am, serenading everyone with mantra to call them to sadhana.

Gurdwara Sevadars: Help set up the Gurdwara space each morning after Sadhana, serve during gurdwara, and if you can make prasad (blessed food by the Guru made of honey, ghee and flour), that is a plus!

Electrolyte Team – Prepare our daily electrolyte drink so that we can stay happy, healthy, holy and hydrated.

Everyone at Women’s Camp either does one of the above Karma Yoga duties, or is on a Service Exchange team.